Secrets
by Queen Violet of the Underworld
Summary: A new girl has come to Ouran. By first period, Tamaki Suoh is her friend, the teacher is scared of her, and two girls are already out to get her. Kyouya Ootori knows everything about everyone - except her. Seems this girl is good at keeping Secrets.
1. Chapter 1

_Tap... Tap... Tap..._

The three different people walked towards each other. None of them knew it, but this meeting on the first day of school was to trigger an event that would affect them the rest of their lives.

_Tap... Tap... Tap..._

One boy excited for the year to start, the other wondering how it was going to end. The sole girl focused mainly on how she would get through it.

_Tap... Tap... Tap..._

The footsteps got more urgent as each of the people checked their watches and saw how close they were to being late. They picked up the pace, bowling down the halls almost at a run.

_Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. _

_Crash. _

The three all collapsed on the floor, having bumped into each other right in front of their classroom.

"Ouch..." The one girl rubbed the back of her head as she got up, scowling at the others. "Can't you idiots look where you're going?"

The blonde of the group jumped up immediately and took the girl's hand. "I apologize, my princess. Have I seen you here before? I don't remember seeing such a beautiful face before - you must be new! My name is Tamaki Suoh, and yours...?"

The girl snatched her hand out of the taller boy's grip. "Kuri Masachika. Nice to meet you again, Suoh. Who are you, Specs?" She directed her last question to the bespectacled dark-haired boy who was yet to speak.

"Kyouya Ootori. Pleased to meet you, Miss Masachika."

Tamaki looked at the girl with a puzzled expression on his face. "You've met me before? I don't remember..."

"It was when we were young. I ripped off your stupid little teddy bear's arm, remember?" Kuri tried to prod his brain back to those times.

"Oh!" Tamaki's face instantly lit up. "Kuri-chan!" He cried, leaping onto her.

"I think not," the girl muttered, grabbing him by the shoulder and bracing herself as they both slid a few feet. "No leaping on me, Suoh, ok? And no -chan,-rin, or anything of the sort, got it?"

"Okay, Kuri! So, what brings you to Ouran?" Tamaki immediately started to chatter as the three entered the classroom. Kyouya stared at the dark girl who was arm in arm with Tamaki. The blonde had never mentioned her for as long as Kyouya had known him - yet, in a few minutes, he, Kyouya Ootori, had be replaced. Kyouya would never admit to being _jealous_ of the girl; rather, he was _curious_ as to how close she was with Tamaki even though they hadn't met for years.

"One minute, Suoh," Kuri murmured, slipping away from him and to the teacher's desk. She leaned over and whispered something to which the teacher nodded quickly and pointed to something in her book.

"You'll still be placed in the same order alphabetically, though, see? That's alright?" The teacher asked, looking almost worried.

"That's fine, thank you," Kuri replied quietly, walking back to the two boys. "Well, Specs, looks like I'm stuck behind you for the rest of the year."

"Excuse me?" Kyouya wasn't used to anyone being so comfortable talking with him just a few moments after meeting him.

"My seat is behind yours," Kuri explained slowly, punctuating her words with a jabbing point towards the seats.

"I see." Kyouya responded, his mind whirling. He quickly took out his little notebook and started writing in it.

"Suoh," Kuri said quietly to the blonde, glancing at the tall dark boy, "who is that? I mean, I know he's Kyouya Ootori, son of -Shot-Yoshio-Ootori, but who is he?"

"He's a kid who appears calculating and closed to everyone, but people who know him see him as... passionate." Tamaki explained. Then he quickly added on, "he's the Cool Type."

"The Cool Type?" Kuri asked.

"Oh, I've come far in life since you last met me, Kuri! I've started a Host Club! Would you like to come?"

"A host club, Suoh? That not my definition of far in life..." Kuri muttered. "So what're you? The Idiot Type?"

Tamaki looked at her with tragic, tear-filled eyes. "You... You think I'm..."

"Kidding, Suoh, kidding." Kuri hit him on the arm. It was a friendly hit, obviously.

"I'm the Prince Type!"

"The Prince Type?" Kuri questioned, crossing her arms. After a few minutes, she nodded. "I approve."

"You should come, Kuri, you'd have fun meeting all my friends!"

"Who are your friends?"

"There's Takashi Morinozuka and Mitsukuni Haninozuka, but we just call them Hunny-Senpai and Mori-Senpai respectively... wait, not respectively..."

"Go on, Suoh," Kuri said with an exasperated smile.

"Mori-Senpai is the Wild Type, and Hunny-Senpai is the Loli-Shota type, and they're both in 3rd year. Then there's Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin. They're twins and they're the Little Devil Type. They're in 1st year. Then there's Kyouya and there's me! You know what type we are. Oh! And Haruhi! I could never forget Haruhi! Haruhi's our Natural Type! She's- I mean he's in first year too!"

"Looks like I'll meet those twins, then. And the girl."

"She's a boy!" Tamaki protested, flustered.

"I get it, it's a secret, I can keep it." Kuri rolled her eyes. "See, I'm only in 2A for English and Math. Remember, I'm one year younger than you."

"Oh! I was wondering about that! You're as smart as I remembered then, Kuri, to be skipping grades for two subjects!" Tamaki smiled at her brightly.

In the opposite corner of the room, Keiko Matsuo held her two pencils like daggers, points sharpened to perfection. "Do you see that, Emi? It's disgusting. She's a new girl, and she's practically throwing herself on him."

Emi Murakami casually removed her bird-watching glasses and stuck them in her pocket. "I wouldn't particularly mind, Kei-chan. She doesn't actually love him. They look like their just friends."

"Of course you wouldn't care, Emi," Keiko snorted. "You don't mind as long as she remains within a 15-kilometer radius of your dearest Kyouya."

The two girls watched as Kuri took a seat behind the young Ootori in her assigned spot. Emi clenched her fist. "Someone to watch, Kei-chan," She said through gritted teeth.

"Definitely, Emi," Keiko answered.

The English teacher rapped on his desk, effectively quieting down the class. He then spread his arms. A theatre professional forced into a day job because of his incompetence, he brought drama to everything he said. "This year, we are going to learn about the bard of the English culture, the most famous poet ever to live, and the man who will live on forever more in our memories as, quite frankly, the best writer ever."

"Lewis Carrol?" Kuri whispered drolly, a cynical smile on her face.

Mr. English-Teacher didn't seem to hear her. "William Shakespeare." With a flamboyant gesture, he turned around and pointed to the class. "Each of you will be given a partner to work with." He turned his finger to a pile of books on his desk. "You will be given a Shakespeare book to explore." Finally, he wrote a date on the board. It was the last day of the first quarter of the school year. "This is the time that your paper on your chosen thesis, written with your partner, is due."

The class groaned as Kuri nudged Kyouya in the back. "Smooth, now Mr. English-Teacher doesn't have to teach us all term."

"Very true." Kyouya answered, hoping she would continue speaking. Speech, he found, was the easiest outlet to one's true character, and one could discover much in a simple conversation. Unfortunately for him, Kuri decided to shut up and lounge in her chair, waiting to hear who her partner was.

The teacher started to go down the list of people in the class alphabetically, using their last names to pair them off. "Akamura, Mayu and Ando, Daichi. The Taming of the Shrew." He continued down the list, pairing off Emi and Keiko and assigning them Macbeth on the way. Then he paused. After a deep breath, and a marshal of his thoughts, he said "Masachika, Kuri and Ootori, Kyouya. Hamlet."

"Fun..." Kuri nudged Kyouya for a second time. "I love Hamlet. Have you read it before?"

Kyouya turned back to her and raised one eyebrow. "No, in fact, I don't particularly find Shakespeare enjoying to read on my own time."

Kuri shook her head. "No one does, Specs. Even I don't. That's not how you're supposed to learn Shakespeare."

"Then how do you learn Shakespeare, Miss Masachika? You sound like an expert?"

"Easy," Kuri said innocently, holding one finger up, "You act it out! Shakespeare wrote _plays_, not _books_, so you have to proclaim them loudly to actually get them, rather than just sitting there reading."

"Interesting notion." Kyouya thought about this as he paged through his copy of Hamlet. The book had gratefully provided a Modern English translation of every page, but it was still English. To battle through the foreign language and the irregular form of speaking would be difficult for most, but language was the Ootori's strong point.

"Suoh, Tamaki and Suzuki, Marina. Romeo and Juliet." A hiss went throughout the class as all the fangirls glared at Marina, who fluttered her eyelashes at Tamaki.

"Tamaki's some heartthrob, eh?" Kuri hid her grin behind her hand.

"Indeed," Kyouya answered gravely, a hint of a smile dancing in his eyes.

Kuri laughed for the first time since Kyouya had seen her. It was a strange sort of laugh - for a minute, her whole face lit up, she looked brighter, _happy_, even, but only for a minute. The slight chuckle that escaped her lips was all and her blue eyes would become stormy and dark, her small mouth set in a grim line. Her short black hair would once again fall in front of her eyes to hide her expression from the world.

Kyouya inconspicuously (or so he thought) took her in for the first time. She was wearing a large boy's uniform, much too large to fit her properly. Her baggy jacket hid any _features_ of any sort that she might have had, and her sleeves were rolled up to above her elbows. Though she was tall, her body was too thin to be admired. Her hands looked as fragile as glass and her cheekbones almost jutted out of her face.

"Gee, Ootori, I know I'm cute, but you don't hafta stare at me," Kuri teased, nudging her classmate for the third time that day.

"If it bothers you, Miss Masachika," Kyouya replied lightly, smiling his Host smile at her.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I gots reviews! Hip hip hooray! Cookies and "Merci Bien"s to my 3 reviewers! **

**Well well well... the story progresses. *dun dun duhhhhh* Today, Kuri meets Haruhi and the twins! ^_^**

**So, what are you waiting for? READ ON. **

Haruhi sighed. Life had been a bit strange since last week's Ouran Fair. Not only had she fallen off a carriage drawn by horses, then been rescued by Tamaki who was originally disbanding the Host Club in order to marry a less-than-acceptable French highborn, but her disguise had been uncovered. Or so she thought. Most people would have guessed the truth when they saw her as a girl, dressed in a dress, dancing with the members of the Host Club. But no. Ouran's fangirls were a special type.

So now, Haruhi's "big secret" was out. It made her cringe to think of it.

Instead of coming up with the obvious, the fangirls had decided that Haruhi was a gay boy who crossdressed and was in love with one of the members of the Host Club. And they'd started a guessing game to figure out who.

She gripped her pencil, internally wincing. The teacher had been droning on and on about some chemistry properties or something, but she hadn't taken any notes. _Not a good idea, Haruhi_, she thought to herself, _you've got to keep up your grades to keep your scholarship. Now - focus! _

Her well-meant resolve was quickly shattered as the door burst open. A panting boy stood in the doorway, trying to catch his breath. As he looked up to the teacher, Haruhi realized in a sudden that though this person was wearing a boy's uniform, she wasn't trying to conceal the fact that she was a girl. To her surprise, the mystery girl (after exchanging a few words with the teacher) immediately made a beeline to Haruhi and sat down next to her.

"Haruhi?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow. "That's your name, isn't it?"

"Yeah," the brunette answered, shrugging. "Who are you? And how do you know me?"

"I'm Kuri Masachika," the dark girl proclaimed, gesturing to herself, "and I'm friends with Tamaki Suoh. Hence, I got the lowdown on his Host Club. So, I know you. And I know you're a girl."

Two voices blended as one sounded a greeting. "Hey."

Kuri looked over her shoulder at the two grinning redheads. "Hey.," she returned quietly, looking over the twins.

"So, you're friends with Tono, eh?" said Twin the First.

"You must be crazy," voiced Twin the Second.

"No one in their right mind would voluntarily be friends with him." Twin the First... for a second time.

Kuri chuckled darkly. "Who said I was in my right mind?" There was a silence as the two boys scrutinized her, trying to come up with an apt comeback. Finding none, they glanced at each other, then grinned evilly.

"Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin. Nice to meet ya!" They introduced themselves, Chesire Cat smiles dripping from their faces.

"Same to you," she replied. "So, this is Chemistry, right? Easy." Kuri opened a notebook and started taking down notes.

"Really," Hikaru drawled. "So what is Au?"

"Gold."

"Ag?" Kaoru.

"Silver."

"Fe?" Hikaru again.

"Iron."

"Zr?" Kaoru, eyes wide.

"Zirconium."

"Uuq?" Hikaru, mischievously.

Kuri furrowed her eyebrows. "Unun...quadium?"

"That's creepy." Simultaneous.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "So, I guess Tamaki's forced you into coming and seeing the Host Club?"

"You've got that right. Tamaki is very… over excited. About everything. All the time. As always."

"What do you mean, "as always"?" The twins asked. "You only met him this morning, right?"

Kuri shook her head while taking notes. "Nope. I've known the kid since he was 5. My… my family and his did some business once. We were bored. He started cultivating mushrooms after I won the fight over his stupid teddy bear."

Haruhi laughed briefly. It was an apt way to describe the flighty Prince of the Host Club.

"Masachika! Fujioka! Hitachiin! Both of you! Are you listening to me?" The teacher demanded, gesturing irately at the board.

"Why?" Kuri shrugged defiantly. "I already know all this crap. And if you actually wanted your students to listen to you, you wouldn't make the interesting subject of chemistry so dry and boring with your unappealing voice and your badly constructed speeches."

The class became silent as everyone stared at the girl. The teacher was at a loss for words. Then finally, he spat out a single syllable, while pointing at the door. "Go."

Kuri got up nonchalantly and headed out of the room.

"Go straight to the chairman's office, young lady!" The teacher added angrily. Kuri smiled as she slammed the door behind her.

"She was disrespectful from the time she stepped into my classroom, sir!" Kuri sighed as her chemistry teacher reiterated this for the hundredth time.

"Sir, I'm just asking if I can be raised to a chemistry class in 2A. That way, we're all happy. Sensei gets rid of a bad kid, I get rid of a bad teacher." Kuri spread her palms and smiled innocently. "What's not to like?"

Yuzuru Suoh regarded the two solemnly. "Sensei, you are welcome to go back to your class. This will be taken care of, don't worry." The chemistry teacher shot his student a last nasty look, then left the room.

"Miss Masachika, how are you!" The chairman was suddenly jovial, leaning over the desk to shake Kuri's hand. The girl laughed.

"I thought you had forgotten me, sir. I'm fine, thank you."

"Forgotten you? No, no, I would never forget you! I just had to put on a face for that pompous teacher. Now, what was I going to do? Oh yes! I must call Tamaki into my office!" The man reached for his phone, but Kuri stopped him.

"No, sir, I have a class with him," she reminded. "First period English. We've already met and reunited, I guess you could say."

"Oh. Well that's perfect, then!" He replied. "Now, about your request…"

"Please, sir," Kuri pleaded, "I couldn't stand going back to that class!"

"I'm afraid we cannot make any changes this year. All of our classes are full up. And it's rather difficult to have you jumping grades like this…" Yuzuru looked at her thoughfully. "Miss Masachika, how would you like to skip a grade? You'd go straight from 1st year to 3rd year."

Kuri tried to contain her excitement. "That would be fine, sir."

Yuzuru stared at her briefly, then nodded. "At the end of the year, you'll take a series of placement exams. If you get higher than the average for 3rd years, I'll accept you."

"Thank you, sir!" The dark-haired girl jumped up and bowed respectfully. "I'll go to German now, if you don't mind?"

"Of course, you can go." Tamaki's father made a shooing gesture, a grin on his face.

"Thanks again!" And with a wave, Kuri dashed out of the door. Yuzuru leaned back in his chair, thinking.

"That girl… I admire her strength," he muttered to himself, shaking his head. "It's only been six months since he died…"

**A/N: OH. CLIFFY. Haha, sorry. Okay, I think you can guess who she meets next chapter. That's right! Our one and only Hunny & Mori-senpais! Or would that be two and only…? **

**What do you guys think? I'm trying my best, sorry for not updating for so long. School. x| you gotta hate the homework. **

**Till next time, her Majesty, the Queen, Violet ^_^**


	3. Chapter 3

Kuri looked at her map of the school, then looked up. Looked down, then up. Then again. _I must look like a freaking bobblehead_, she thought disparagingly, scrutinizing the map one last time. "Damn," she muttered under her breath. "Music Room #3, Music Room #3, Music Room #3…" Her thin fingers traced the map delicately, trying to find the room.

Her eyes went wide, and she glanced around as she sheepishly turned the map over.

"And then I said, 'Would you like some cake?' and she said, 'Of course!' and we ate cake, and it was strawberry flavored with some whipped cream on the top - I love whipped cream, don't you, Takashi?"

"Hm."

"Me too!" A voice chirped from behind the dark girl. She turned around and saw a small blonde boy sitting on a tall boy's shoulders.

"Excuse me," she started, hating herself for having to ask a question, "but would you know where Music Room #3 is?"

"Oh, are you coming to the Host Club?" The tiny boy asked cheerfully.

"Yes," Kuri admitted, looking closely at the two kids. "You're Haninozuka, aren't you? And you're Morinozuka."

The tall man nodded a response.

"I'm Kuri Masachika."

"I'm Mitsukuni," the midget said proudly, "but you can call me Hunny-senpai. And that's Takashi, but you can call him Mori-senpai. Everyone does."

"Why?" Kuri asked, wrinkling her brow. She didn't like nicknames at all.

"Just cause! We have really long names, y'know. Well, here we are!" Hunny gestured grandly to the door of the Host Club. "Open it! Open it!"

The girl hesitantly pushed the door open and swore loudly when she was blinded by a stunning light and hundreds of rose petals.

Hunny laughed as he tried to snatch the small flowers out of the air - his cousin looked on with an amused expression. "Isn't it pretty, Kuri-chan?"

The black-haired girl allowed herself a small smile. "I suppose so," she murmured as the petals brushed against her hand. She narrowed her eyes. "But no Kuri-chan, okay? Just Kuri."

"But Kuri-chan is such a pretty name! It reminds me of autumn!"

Kuri sighed. Yes, her name meant chestnut. Yes, most everyone who heard it thought of the chestnut season. No, she did not have to be reminded of this every day. Yes, that's what happened anyway.

"Welcome to the Ouran High School Host Club!" Tamaki said, a… well… _princely_ smile on his face.

The dark girl smiled sardonically. "Hey Suoh, Ootori. What's up?"

Tamaki gasped dramatically, then brought his face close to Kuri. "That was a commoner phrase!" he exclaimed, holding a finger up for emphasis. "What's. Up! It means something like, how are you?"

"Tamaki. There's something called a personal bubble. Get your fat head out of mine."

The Frenchman withered and retreated to his corner. His long-lost friend, Hunny, and Mori tried to get him out for five minutes, then decided it was a lost case.

"Don't you have to get ready for your club activities, or something?" she finally asked, exasperatedly.

"Yes, we do!" The blonde was back to his normal self again. "Today's cosplay is…! Is…!"

"Warriors," Kyouya said bluntly, not looking up from his laptop. "Hello, Miss Masachika."

"So, Ootori," Kuri started as the other three rushed off to dress, "don't you have to change?"

Kyouya shook his head while typing simultaneously. "I don't take as long as the two senpais and Tamaki."

The girl's eyes widened. "Whoa. Wait. Whoa. That was Haninozuka."

"Yes."

"Like, Mitsukuni Haninozuka."

"Mm-hmm."

"Fierce leader of his family."

"That's right."

"Heir to the family business."

"Indeed."

"He's _tiny_!" Kuri was aghast. "He's a midget! I don't have to _fight_ him - I could just blow the kid over!" She paused, stricken with horror. "And he's _older _ than me!"

Kyouya covered his face with his hand as he pushed his glasses up. "He's older than Mori as well, Miss Masachika, and Mori-senpai is one of the tallest people in the school."

His companion nodded, turning the statement over in her head. "I suppose so." There was a silence for a few minutes, broken by the door opening.

"Sorry we're late," Haruhi said, immediately heading to change.

"I'm going to add that to your debt, Haruhi," Kyouya called out. She swore as she slammed the door of the dressing room.

"We're not that sorry," Hikaru said smoothly.

"She's the one who tipped over the chemical beakers," Kaoru finished.

"We, being the kind, generous twins that we are, decided to help her out." Unison.

Kuri gave them a level stare. "Kind? Generous? Last time I checked, you two pushed her into the beaker holder, leaving me with a crap map of the school, trying to find my way to this stupid room!" Her eyes grew sharp as she thought something over. "Crap map… crap map… it rhymes," she pointed out unnecessarily.

Kyouya coughed.

"What were you doing anyway, Ootori?" The girl asked as the bespectacled man closed his computer.

"Club management," he replied briefly, tucking his laptop away into his bag.

"I bet you weren't," she taunted. "No one needs to spend that much time on some high school club!"

Kyouya scoffed. "Trust me, with Tamaki as head, you do."

"I bet you were on your email, chatting with some hot girl," Kuri said mischievously. Kyouya didn't answer as he made his way to the dressing room.

"I bet you were stalking people on facebook."

No answer.

"I bet you were-"

"I bet you can't shut up, Miss Masachika."

Kuri scowled and shut her mouth. After a few minutes of twiddling her thumbs, the volcano that is the fangirls of Ouran erupted into the third music room.

"Oh wow, are you a new host?" The girls asked, gushing over the uncomfortable girl.

"No, no!" Kuri tried to hold them off as they invaded her space. She said the first thing that came into her mind - "The boys are over there changing!" she pointed.

The squealing mob stampeded away, leaving the dark girl with a few stragglers. She glared down at the shorter girls. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"You're kinda cute…" one of them started.

"For God's sake, I'm a girl!"

**A/N: Chapter 3! I'm so proud of myself!**

**Haha, don't you love Ouran's fangirls? C'mon, we all know we'd be one of them. Probably. **

**What do you think? Please review! I have decided that I need one review before I update the next chapter, because if no one reviews, how do I know that anyone has read the chapter? I wouldn't want to rush you, oh no. **

**I'm conveniently forgetting about the traffic-for-your-stories-hit-count-thing. ;)**

**Till next time, her Majesty, the Queen, Violet ^_^**


	4. Chapter 4

Kuri pensively walked home from school. Shifting her school bag, she scowled as a limo passed her.

"Probably Ootori's," she muttered, kicking at a random pebble. The young man seemed the type to be carted everywhere in style.

She sighed as she reached the gate of a huge Victorian house. Rattling the bars for a few minutes, she swore, kicked the gate, then pressed an intercom button on fence.

"Hello?" A crackly British voice emitted from the old speaker. Kuri rolled her eyes.

"Oi, I'm coming back from school, y'know, did it ever occur to you to unlock the gate?"

"Oi," the voice mimicked, "I'm just coming out, y'know, did it ever occur to you to be a little nice about it?"

Kuri swore under her breath and the same voice, no longer obscured by static, admonished her.

"Hey, bad Kuri."

"What am I, your dog?" The dark girl demanded irately as a tall man with hazel eyes played with the gate's lock.

"Hmm…" The man stood for a minute in mock thought, then laughed and opened the gate. "How was school, ma petite (1)?"

"Okay, I guess. It's infested with filthy rich people."

"Well duh. It's a private school. Meet anyone you like?"

"The Suoh kid. The youngest Ootori. Hitachiins, Haninozuka, Morinozuka, and a scholarship girl - Fujioka."

The taller man whistled. "Damn, that's a lot."

"Well duh. It's a private school, Aidan. And what happened to no swearing?"

"I'm me. And you're you. And I'm allowed to swear."

Kuri snorted and kicked the door open. "Oi, Avery, Chen, I'm home!"

"Our princess has returned!" Aidan sang as he shut the door. A short boy zoomed up to Kuri and threw himself on her.

"Hey there Chen," she said, hugging him. The boy looked up at her with huge eyes. "How was your day?" He shook his head imperceptibly, then ran off. Kuri and Aidan shared a somber look, then walked further into the home.

"Hey, Kuri," greeted a tall man with hazel eyes sitting at the kitchen table in front of a laptop. He was a carbon copy of Aidan; the two were twins.

"Hi Avery," returned the only girl as she made to leave the room.

"Kuri, drink your milk," Avery reprimanded sharply without turning around. Kuri stuck out her tongue at him behind his back. "And stop being immature."

"Yes, Mum," she muttered darkly, yanking the fridge door open and throwing the carton onto the counter.

A thin strain of music reached the room and Kuri's tense shoulders relaxed. Chopin's _Fantasie Impromptu_ filled the huge house with sound, making it feel full, though only four people lived in it.

"Chen's really good, no?" Aidan said, smiling as the music flowed through him.

"Indeed," Avery agreed, reverting to English, his mother tongue.

Kuri obliged with the change in language. "Did you two see Mum today?"

"I haven't had the time," Avery admitted, finally looking up from the tiny computer screen. "I officially detest work."

"Maybe I should go?" Aidan offered. "Is there anything you wanted me to say?"

"Well, chairman Suoh-san said I might be able to skip straight to 3rd year next year. Tell her that for sure, okay?"

"Good job, little sis!" The elder twin congratulated. Avery held out his hand for a high-five.

"Thank you, thank you, now tell her, okay?" The girl ordered.

"That I will do," Aidan assured, pulling on a jacket, then a hat. "And I'm off. I'll be back soon." Back to Japanese.

"Come back safely," Avery replied, rolling his eyes at the change in dialect.

Kuri watched as her brother carefully locked the door and made his way off. "So where is Mum, then?" she asked, sipping her milk.

"We found a nice place - lots of flowers, very picturesque." The working man looked up in amusement. "Near a chestnut grove."

"Oh, shut up!" she snapped as Aidan chuckled. "What did you use as a marker?"

"A block of marble left over from the counter project. It looks very nice. The inscription is good as well. 'Death is but the next great adventure.' Mum would've liked that we used a British quote."

"I'm sure she's pleased."

The phone rang and Kuri picked it up. "Hello?"

"KURI, WE FOUND YOU!" Alarmed, the girl dropped the phone, only to scramble for it while cursing the blonde menace known as Tamaki Suoh.

"Avery, cut everything!" she cried suddenly, a hand over the mouthpiece of the phone. "That Ootori is a sneak, he'll find out."

Her brother quickly typed a few words into a command box, then sighed as the computer shut down. Across the city, servers were shutting down and angry workers were going ballistic over unsaved information. But that didn't matter because for now, the Masachikas were safe.

Kuri put the phone back to her ear.

"... and so we were just wondering if you'd join us tomorrow, okay?" The blonde finished. In the background, the girl could hear an angry Ootori growling and two Hitachiins attacking his laptop.

"What? Where? God, tell your friends to shut up, I can barely hear you!"

"HEY GUYS, WANNA SAY HI TO KURI?"

She put a hand over her face. "That's not what I said, stupid," she muttered.

"So, anyway, we're planning on going to a fair, see? You should come with, right?"

"Dude. I have homework. And a life," Kuri replied flatly, then hung up. The phone rang again.

"Are you sure?"

"I will murder you." Beep.

The phone rang again.

"They'll be selling chestnuts!"

"Not even the slightest bit funny, Suoh." Beep.

The phone rang again. Avery cracked up.

"Kyouya reeeeeeeeeeally wants you to come!"

Kuri sighed. "Goddamnit, fine, Suoh. Tell Ootori to bring his copy of Hamlet."

A gasp emitted from the other end. "You're not going to do work, are you? At a commoner _fair_?"

"Why yes. Yes I am."

"You're inhuman!"

"No, I'm Kuri, idiot."

"But it'll be so fun!"

"Suoh, for god's sake, stop whining!"

"Wet blanket."

"Filthy rich brat."

"I'm not a brat!"

"Prove it!"

"I'm-" There was a fumble for the phone on the other end. Cries of "Give it back!" amused the younger twin Masachika to no end.

"Hello, Miss Masachika, I'd just like to say that the both of you are _exceptionally_ childish, and this conversation really has no point. Goodbye, and yes, I will bring my copy of Hamlet." Beep.

"Finally. And stop laughing," Kuri pointed at Avery with narrowed eyes. He disguised a chuckle with a fake cough.

"I just love seeing you handle having friends."

Kuri shook her head slowly. "True, can't say I've had many before."

**A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing guys! It means so much to me. **

**(1) "Ma petite" is French for "my little girl". I'm probably going to use lots of French phrases in this story so… so deal with it! xD**

**Hope you liked this chapter of Secrets. Sort of cryptic, I'd love to hear what you think… hint hint. **

**Dude, seriously though, I have like 200 hits on this thing! I'm so happy! Even though I only have 6 reviews…. Hint hint. **

**Till next time, her Majesty, the Queen, Violet ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5

**I almost forgot about this!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Ouran High School Host Club, I would come make another anime season ;) By the way, if you read after this part, there are a hell of a lot of Hamlet spoilers. Just in case. **

**If I owned Hamlet, Hamlet wouldn't have died. **

"Where is she?" Tamaki whined, pulling at his friend's sleeve. The Host Club was currently on the fairgrounds. Cheesy music blasted from every corner and made Kyouya's head pound. The young Ootori pushed up his glasses and tried to block out the noise around him.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't show up. She didn't want to come, remember?" He pointed out. Tamaki had unrealistic expectations for everyone to follow.

"But she said she would!"

They were interrupted by a peculiar revving noise. The twins and Haruhi looked up from counting their games tokens and Hunny stopped slurping his drink. Slowly, the group made their way to the gate. There, their jaws dropped at what they saw.

Kuri rode up in a motorcycle and stopped at the entrance of a fair. Carefully parking it, she hopped off the bike and pocketed the keys. She was wearing a leather jacket and a pair of jeans, black Converse on her feet.

"Hey guys," she said with a wave of her hand.

"Wouldn't it be safer to wear a helmet?" asked Kyouya blandly, hiding the smirk that danced through his eyes.

Kuri snorted. "Lost it years ago. Couldn't care to find it. I've never fallen off, anyhow. So, bring your book?"

"Please, Kuri, can you come with me on a ride?" Hikaru, Kaoru, and Tamaki bombarded her. Kuri tried to run away, but Tamaki caught her wrist.

"Unhand me, gentlemen! By heaven, I'll make a ghost of him that lets me!" The three boys stopped in surprise. "Shakespeare, boys," Kuri clarified with a grin.

"Guys, leave her alone if she doesn't want to come with us. You did force her to, so she can choose what she wants to do here," Haruhi sighed.

"Oh! Haruhi's jealous! Don't worry, Daddy still loves you!" Tamaki proclaimed, hugging the girl. "Mommy! Tell Haruhi you still love her!"

Kyouya stared at his friend exasperatedly.

"Well, go on!"

"…I'm sorry Haruhi, but I can't really bring myself to say that."

"Kyouya, I'm shocked," she deadpanned after firmly wrenching herself out of Tamaki's grip. "You're my only mommy." She cracked up after saying so.

"Ootori… Are you a girl?" Kuri asked, quite disgusted.

The tall man sighed. "No."

Kuri's look of horror only deepened. "Do you… bend that way?"

"No." Much more emphatic this time.

"Phew. So you're just… Mummy."

"The Host Club is a convoluted family thought up by Tamaki. He's the father, I'm the mother, Hikaru, Kaoru, and Haruhi are the children, and Hunny and Mori are our next-door neighbors. I believe."

"3 children already, Mummy? Where has your youth gone?" Kuri asked deviously. Kyouya glared at her. "So. Hamlet."

"Indeed," he said, sitting down at a bench and opening his book. The twins and Tamaki had dragged Haruhi off to somewhere, and Hunny and Mori were getting something to eat.

"Let's skip the first scene, it isn't important," Kuri muttered, flipping through her book. She glanced up at her partner's stony face. "What? So his friend Horatio sees his father's ghost! Big whoop! Anyway, there's no fun dialogue in that part."

"Dialogue?"

"We're going to speak this, remember? So I call the evil king Claudius. You can be the queen." Kuri said mischievously. At Kyouya's level gaze, she relented. "Fine, I'll be Claudius _and _Gertrude. You be Hamlet."

"Thank you." The two proceeded to read Shakespeare, Kuri much better than Kyouya. She gave definitions every few minutes to ease along the process.

"Do not for ever with thy vailed lids / Seek for thy noble father in the dust: / Thou know'st 'tis common; all that lives must die, / passing through nature to eternity," she intoned seriously as Gertrude.

"Ay, madam, it is common," Kyouya answered sarcastically as the young hero.

"If it be, / Why seems it so particular with thee? Oh god, I hate this woman." The last sentence, of course, was not from Hamlet. Kuri had a murderous look on her face. "His father just freaking died and she asks why he's sad. Not only that, she's a slut. I mean, dude. Imagine your mom marrying your uncle after your father died! Ew! Isn't that what Henry the 8th did with Katherine of Aragon? Or was it Aragorn? No, that's the guy from Lord of the Rings…"

Kyouya's lips twitched. In one breath, she had managed to sidetrack the conversation from Shakespeare to Victorian England to Tolkien. This girl was interesting; far more interesting than anyone he had ever met, besides maybe Tamaki.

"Hey, Ootori, why don't you ever smile?" Kuri asked curiously, cocking her head to one side.

"I smile. You saw yesterday at the Host Club."

"No, I didn't. Last time I checked, the twins bugged me the whole time."

"Oh." Kyouya looked back down at his book, getting ready to speak his next line. However, he was aware of a presence near him and looked back up.

With an intense look of concentration on her face, his partner was kneeling on the table in front of him. Before he could speak, her hands snaked out and pushed up the corners of his mouth.

"There. Now you're smiling. No offense, but that's a weird-ass smile, Ootori."

By the painful, circulation-cutting grip with which he yanked her wrists away from his face, she guessed that he took offense.

"Why do you hardly ever laugh, Miss Masachika?" he asked with an evil look at the girl.

"Because life isn't funny," she replied, narrowing her eyes and wrenching her arms out of his grip.

"Really. How illuminating." The Ootori knew he should stop, but he couldn't help it. "Why not the real reason? And while you're at it, you can tell me why a virus starting at a location known to be your house spread throughout the city, shutting down many computers, including my laptop?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Hmm." The Ootori dropped it and looked back down at his book.

"Hey guys, there you are!" Hikaru yelled.

"We were looking for you," explained Kaoru.

"We were here the whole time, Hitachiins," Kuri said dryly, getting up from her seat. "I've got to go, okay?"

"Aww, but you only just got here!" Hunny whined, sitting on Mori's shoulders. Tamaki and Haruhi soon followed, debating about whether cotton candy had different flavors or not.

"It's getting dark," Kyouya pointed out, also stowing his book away and getting to his feet.

"Fine." The twins, simultaneously. "I guess."

The group, talking and laughing, made their way to the exit. A piercing whistle made them stop. Kuri turned around, raising an eyebrow at what she saw.

A muscled thug sitting at the concessions stand was staring at her, almost drooling. "Hey, girlie," he drawled. "Why don't you come over here?" He patted the spot next to him. Kuri's eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline. "C'mon, hottie, ditch those pretty boys. You wanna _real_ man, dontcha?" He leered at her.

"You think I'm hot?" Kuri asked, innocently gesturing towards herself and taking a step closer. The thug nodded stupidly.

Before the Host Club could even speak, much less beat the tar out of the man, he was on the floor, Kuri standing on his legs. One of her fragile hands was wrapped around his two wrists; the other held a gun to his forehead.

"You think I'm hot?" she asked darkly. The man shook his head quickly, whimpering. "That's what I thought," she said, stowing the gun away and turning around. Then she quickly spun back, punched him in the nose, and walked to where the club was staring in awe.

"Come on, boys, nothing to see here," she said dryly, passing them elegantly.

"Whoa…" Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru breathed in awe.

"Kuri-chan is a super good fighter!" Hunny said happily, clapping his hands.

"I think you're missing the point, Mitsukuni," his cousin said.

**A/N: Yeah, I edited this because I just wrote myself into a hole. I thought I could write myself out, but it would have ruined something else later in the plot. So sorry to the people who read the original version. Just… just completely forget it ever happened. Cause it didn't. xD**

**Please review! Morkey-chan has reviewed every single chapter! *applause* Be like her! :) Don't get me wrong, I love that people are reading this… but just a short review, please? It can just be a sentence! How long would that take? PLEASE! Haha sorry! **

**Till next time, her Majesty, the Queen, Violet ^_^**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: If I owned Ouran, there would have been a dramatic proclamation of Tamaki's love for Haruhi at the end of episode 26. :)**

Takashi Morinozuka looked around. Everyone was packing up, but it was a little too quiet. Something was missing.

Kyouya furrowed his eyebrows as he put his laptop back in his bag. There was something wrong. Tamaki and Honey were chatting, so it wasn't silent, per say, but something was… not present.

"No way in _hell_ am I wearing that, devil twins!"

Ah, there it was.

Kuri strode away from the grinning brothers, a hand out to ward them away.

"But Kuri-chan, you'd look so cute!" They chorused, following her.

"And you'd like to look cute, wouldn't you?" Hikaru asked lowly, tracing a finger up her jaw and bringing her face close to his.

"So, Hitachiin," Kuri asked simply, "do you want me to beat you up now or shall we take this outside?"

Safe to say, Hikaru left her alone. For a few minutes.

"But Kuri~!" The two whined in unison. She sighed, turning to face them.

"Why the bloody hell would you want me to wear that?"

"Cause it matches your eyes!" Kaoru explained, holding up the dress. It was a small frock that wouldn't cover any portion of her leg below her knees, and probably very little above. A small band with a big flower off to the side accentuated the waist of the slim, sky blue dress.

"There are plenty of things that match my eyes that I would not wear in public," Kuri sighed, running a hand through her short black hair. "In other words, hell no."

"Well, then, I guess that leaves us with no choice." When she saw the devilish look in the twins' eyes, she knew she should have stayed in bed that morning.

The dark girl yelped as the twins started chasing her around the room.

"Not fair, doppelgangers!" she panted out, jumping onto a table to avoid the two boys, "There are two of you!"

They smirked in response, each dashing in a different direction in order to trap her. The dark girl climbed up a cabinet and immediately cursed. Hikaru and Kaoru made a beeline for her. The elder pulled himself up and reached out to grab her.

"I think not!" she exclaimed triumphantly, leaping off the cabinet aiming for a table. She hit the surface running and prepared herself for the next jump. Unfortunately, unlike the other tables, this one still had a tablecloth on it. Her foot slipped on the covering and she went flying through the air.

Desperately trying to land correctly, she twisted her body in order to land on her feet. She wasn't fast enough. Crashing onto the ground on her right shoulder, she skidded for a few feet before stopping herself. She immediately sat straight up, looking down at her two hands.

"Kuri?" Kaoru broke the silence and asked feebly. The tall girl had not yet raised her eyes to the others. They slowly approached her.

"Is Kuri-chan okay?" Honey asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Shit," she hissed out in obvious pain and the small blonde boy quickly retracted his hand.

"Miss Masachika," Kyouya demanded authoritatively, kneeling in front of her.

"Mr. Ootori," the girl mocked, looking up to glare at him. They stared at each other, and finally, Kuri relented, offering him her right wrist. "Don't you dare poke and prod at it, Doctor-san," she sneered, "I know exactly what's wrong and I can treat it for myself."

"Is that so?" he asked absently, placing pressure on different areas on her wrist.

"Yes, it is so. It's sprained, that's all. All I need is an ice pack," she said assertively, tossing her head.

"Stop it," Haruhi said, frowning.

"Stop what, Fujioka?" Kuri challenged her.

"Stop making it seem fine. With a bruise like that, it must hurt, so stop trying to lie to us." The brunette indicated the odd coloring that was starting to appear on her hand.

The dark girl snickered. "I always bruise in the most interesting colors."

"Alas!" Tamaki seemed to have found his voice again. "How awful for a beautiful princess such as Kuri to have to succumb to what must be such a horrible pain!"

"Shut up, Suoh," Kuri said, but this time, she was smiling for real. "I'm not a princess by any account."

"Why of course you are! Every girl has a princess inside of them, waiting to blossom out!"

"Of course," she agreed, chuckling a bit and retracting her hand. She answered Kyouya's level gaze with one of her own. "I'm going to go home and get an ice pack, okay?"

"I really don't trust you on that."

"So? What're you gonna do, walk me home?"

She really shouldn't have gotten out of bed.

* * *

"Whoa. Your house is huge, Kuri." The twins said in astonishment, gazing up at the mansion.

"Yeah, yeah, stop being so surprised, you rich bastards," she muttered, trying to open the gate with only her left hand.

"Let me," Mori said as the Hitachiins pointed out that Kuri was rich as well.

"Thanks, Takashi," Kuri said, leaving the tall man to unlock the gate. She punched the intercom button and waited for an answer.

"Ello?"

"Hey Aidan, uh…" she ran a hand through her hair, "I've brought some friends home."

"REALLY?"

"… Yes."

"Come in, come in, come in! Pleased to meet you boys, and one girl of course, I am the infamous Aidan Masachika!"

"Who's that?" Honey asked innocently.

The intercom immediately shut off.

"Great," Kuri murmured. Kyouya noticed her obvious embarrassment and pushed his glasses up with one hand. The group stepped through the gates and Kuri kicked open the door.

"Bonjour, boys!" Aidan said theatrically, tipping his hat.

"Bonjour, Monsieur!" Tamaki enthusiastically responded. The two had a high-speed conversation in excited French before realizing that there were still other people in the room.

"What did you do to your hand, Kuri?" her older brother asked.

"Sprained it," she replied, hanging her coat on the stand with her left hand.

"Ice pack in the freezer."

"No freakin duh. C'mon guys." Kuri waved them into the kitchen, where Avery was working as usual.

"Hello Kuri. Nice to meet you, boys. And Haruhi." The younger twin didn't even look up.

The Hitachiins looked back and forth from Aidan to Avery. Finally they stared at Kuri. "You have two dads?"

The Masachikas burst out laughing as Kuri rolled her eyes. "They're my brothers, intelligent children."

"Oh…" the two chorused. "But then, where are your parents?"

"Not here," she responded lightly, tying an ice pack to her wrist.

"Where are they?"

Kuri cast a glance upwards, then downward, then shrugged. "Who knows?"

The boys and Haruhi came into the room, filling up the space. Kuri hoisted herself onto a countertop.

"Aidan and Avery. 5 years older than me and twins. A younger brother named Chen, he should be around here somewhere. He's two years younger than me," Kuri briefly introduced the family.

"Why do you have English names?" Tamaki asked brightly.

"Mum was English," Aidan responded, grabbing a can of Coke and opening it.

"Was?" Kyouya asked. The question hung in the room as the three family members frowned.

"Was," answered Kuri finally, her shoulders seeping. Her face immediately took on an annoyed expression as the club tried to offer their apologies. "Don't even think about it. What's happened has happened."

There was an awkward silence. No one knew exactly what to say. Then a peculiar little rumble sounded in the room.

"Is that cheesecake in the fridge?" Honey asked innocently. The group cracked up as Avery finally got up and served them whopping big slices of the dessert.

**A/N: Hope you liked. Not much that I have to say. I just want to know what you think. I hope the tension relief at the end wasn't too cheesy. Geddit? Cheesecake - cheesy? Haha. Ha. That was awful. **

**Till next time, her Majesty, the Queen, Violet ^_^**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: If I owned Ouran, Kuri would be in the show. And it would be totally awesome. Oh, and I don't own IAM. You'll understand. **

_The next day_:

The doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Kuri mumbled through a mouthful of baby carrots. She quickly swallowed, wiped her mouth off on a paper towel, and raced to the door.

"Hello?" She opened the door.

"Hey, Kuri!" The Host Club chorused. The dark girl's eyes widened and she immediately slammed the door shut.

"Aidan? Avery? I'm going to kill you."

_[start flashback]_

_"We'd better get going. Au revoir!" Tamaki waved his hand grinning like a fool. _

_"Nice meeting you, come over whenever you'd like!" Aidan said happily, leading them to the door._

_"Whenever we like?" The twins asked simultaneously. _

_"Of course!" Aidan gestured grandly. _

_[end flashback] _

Someone knocked on the door and Kuri groaned. "I hate my friends!" she muttered as she reluctantly let them in. "Hey guys."

"Kuri, Kuri, Kuri, do you have cheesecake?" Hunny asked excitedly.

"You finished it all yesterday," she said grumpily.

Avery came down the stairs and stopped when he saw 8 people crowded in his house. "Well. Hello there," he waved with one hand, the other carrying his laptop. "Why don't you kids go into Kuri's room?"

"No-!" But it was too late. The stampede rushed off upstairs, Kuri, Kyouya, and Haruhi left behind.

"They just want to know more about you, I guess," Haruhi offered as an explanation.

Kuri sighed. "If they really wanted to know, they would just ask. Come on, let's go." She gestured pathetically and made her way up the stairs.

"Hey, is this your room?" The twins asked, peeking into the first door on the right.

"No," Kuri said wearily, peeking into the room. It was painted a deep, rich, red with mahogany furniture. Covering the walls were pinups of sheet music and posters of famous musicians. On the neatly made bed, a cello was laid out and a keyboard sat in another corner of the room. "This is Chen's room. C'mon, my room is this way."

Kuri led them to the second door on the left and grandly threw the door open. "Welcome to my humble abode," she drawled sarcastically.

The room was painted a bright blue, but you could hardly see it for all the posters hung up. Some were advertisements for movies; others were for bands. The bed was rumpled and creased, and the comforter hung crookedly off the edge. Next to her bed was a huge stereo on a stand, amidst random beanbags thrown around the room. Across from her bed, a tall bookshelf stood regally, stuffed to the brim.

"Whoa…" The club breathed in awe. Then Tamaki ran to play with the stereo, dragging Haruhi along behind him. The twins immediately peeked into her walk-in-closet, and Hunny started jumping from beanbag to beanbag. Kyouya inspected her book collection, noticing that they were alphabetically arranged by title.

Suddenly, loud, blaring music filled the room and everyone immediately clapped their hands over their ears. Only Kuri was unaffected.

"I'm sorry!" squeaked out Tamaki, but he was unheard over the sound of the booming stereo. Kuri ran a hand through her hair, then walked over and turned the volume down.

"What is that song?" Hikaru asked, listening.

"Is it foreign?" Kaoru.

"It's a French rap song," Kuri explained, taking the CD out of the stereo. "It's by IAM. It's called 'Ça Vient de la Rue'. It means-"

"It comes from the streets!" Tamaki said happily as the dark girl put in a different CD. "Wow, you like French, huh?"

"Dude, I was raised in England. I've grown up being taught French in school until I was 10." Kuri rolled her eyes. "Why else do you think Aidan and Avery are so fluent?"

"So you're trilingual," Haruhi pointed out. "Cause you must know English then, too."

"Yup. Trilingual and damn proud of it." Kuri hit 'Play' and faint strains of Debussy emitted from the system.

"Look at this!" The twins exclaimed as Tamaki fingered Clair De Lune on the stereo stand.

"Oh god, what?" Kuri asked, putting a hand to her forehead.

"This!" They gestured grandly as Mori held up a black bikini.

Kuri gritted her teeth. "Get your heads out of my closet, Hitachiins." Someone tapped her shoulder and she turned. Kyouya held out a Lemony Snicket novel and raised an eyebrow. The dark girl shrugged. "They're good books."

The door burst open and everyone jumped and turned. Chen, with his big brown eyes, stared at the boys in the room.

"Hey Chen dear," Kuri said softly, leading him into the room and closing the door behind him. He winced as he heard the door click. "These are my friends. Say hi?"

He stared up at the intimidating tall men (and Haruhi), and covered his mouth with his hand.

"Chen…" Kuri said, her voice losing its sweetness.

"Hi! Your name is Chen? I'm Mitsukuni Haninozuka!" Hunny said happily. "And this is Usa-chan! Do you want to play with him?"

The young Masachika stared into Hunny's warm eyes, then slowly tugged the rabbit's ear and nodded. He sat cross-legged on the floor across from the little blonde and silently watched as his senior jabbered on.

"He doesn't speak?" Kyouya asked, the slightest hint of curiosity on his face.

"Not any of your business, Ootori," Kuri replied in a low voice, brushing her fingers over the titles on her shelf. She stopped at one and smiled. "So, people, what's the meaning of life, the universe, and everything?"

"Love!" Tamaki said theatrically, a rose appearing in his hand as he struck a pose.

"Fun!" The twins smirked in unison.

"Family and friends?" Haruhi offered. Mori nodded in approval.

Kyouya shrugged. "Dare I say… profit?"

Kuri mimicked the taller man. "Dare I say… 42?" She was met by blank stares of incomprehension. "Here," she pulled out a few copies of the same book and passed them around. "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Read it. Or else."

They would all read it.

"Il est quelle heures?" Kuri yelled downstairs as the Host Club flipped through the books, minus Hunny, who was still chattering with Chen.

"Cinq heures et demie!" A voice, either Aidan or Avery, responded.

"Alors," Kuri muttered, then turned to the guys. "You've been here ages." Her eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw what the group was huddled around. "People!" she barked, swatting them away from the instrument case. "Get away from the instrument! Two steps back!"

"You play violin?" Tamaki asked. "The violin! The epitome of beauty, a beautiful instrument, capable of playing the saddest of sorrows to the happiest of-"

"Violins can go die," Kuri growled, resting a hand on her instrument possessively. "It's called a viola, idiot boy. Look it up in the dictionary."

"Play it! Play it!" Hunny cheered clapping his hands.

"I don't know. It's been a long time. You guys manage to unearth the strangest things." Kuri chuckled.

The song on the stereo abruptly ended and the dark girl narrowed her eyes. "That's your cue, boys. Out, out!" She shooed them out of the room and shut the door. "Time for you to go home."

"But we wanna stay longer!" The twins said in unison, beaming at her.

She leaned against the bedroom door. "People. I have a life, you know. Just come back tomorrow."

"Will do!" Tamaki answered as the rest of them held up their thumbs. Haruhi rolled her eyes and Kyouya just shook his head.

"Say bye to Chen for me!" Hunny chirped as they left.

"Definitely, now leave," Kuri said sharply, but she couldn't hide the smile in her eyes as she closed the door.

"Haninozuka is friends with Chen?" Aidan asked, running a hand through his messy hair, holding a cup of coffee. "Whoa."

"Yeah, I know," Kuri nodded as she made her way to the kitchen. She paused and looked back at her older brother. "Those guys are something special."

He smiled in agreement.

**A/N: Hey guys, two typos I must apologize for:**

**1. Aidan and Avery are 8 years older than Kuri, not 5. **

**2. I misspelled Hunny's name throughout chapter 6. O.o way to go, Violet. **

**On a totally different topic, this chapter introduces the first of the two Unlikely Friendships planned for the story - Hunny and Chen. My best friend and eternal muse, Maria, dared me to come up with these friendships, and I'm really excited to see your reactions to the second one. Anyone wanna guess? It involves Kuri...! **

**Il est quelle heures? = What time is it?**

**Cinq heures et demie = It's 5:30**

**Alors = oh my, or something of the sort... **

**Till next time, her Majesty, the Queen, Violet ^_^**


	8. Chapter 8

Kuri lazily turned onto her stomach on the couch, flipping through her physics book. This second year crap she had to learn was hard. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she sighed and glanced at the number.

A picture of Tamaki staring avidly into the phone's camera showed up, with "The Prince~!" as the name. The dark girl stared at the display screen, then hung up. Fearing for her life and sanity, she scrolled through her address book.

The name "Cake-chan~!" was accompanied with a snapshot of Hunny devouring a plate of cupcakes. Mori was "SuperWildDude~!" with a profile picture of him holding Usa-chan. Hikaru and Kaoru were "StupidDplgngr1~!" or "StupidDplgngr2~!" respectively, with pics of each of them asking "Which one of us is Hikaru?" Haruhi was "Daughter~!3" - her profile picture was of her getting squeezed to death by Tamaki. And finally, Kuri winced and clicked on "CoolerThanUrFace~!", featuring an angry Kyouya giving the phone's camera the death glare. Kuri pressed call.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

_"Ootori."_

"Specs, how the hell do I have your phone number?"

_"Ah. Hello, Miss Masachika."_

"Dude. I asked you a question."

_"Tamaki got a hold of your phone yesterday. You didn't notice?"_

Kuri harrumphed. "Don't say that like I'm an idiot."

_"I only speak the truth."_

"Shut up!" Kuri laughed. "So what're you doing?"

_"Physics homework."_

"Same. I hate this stuff."

"_How are you doing physics homework? Last time I checked, you were enrolled in chemistry."_

"I'm just that cool. Much cooler than your face," Kuri teased.

_"You're kidding me. My face is the epitome of cool."_

"Since when?"

_"Since Tamaki decided I should be the Cool Type."_

"Touche." There was a pause, then- "Do you even get any girls at the Club?"

_"I'm offended."_

"I only speak the truth. You are permanently on your laptop. I don't see any girls avidly flocking around you."

_"Because my fangirls have brains."_

"Ooh, Ootori's possessive. Your fangirls, eh?"

_"Yes. Mine. Anyhow, the time that the others spend hosting, I need to calculate our expenses."_

"Expenses, expenses, your bloody expenses. Do you talk about anything else?"

_"Yes I do, Brit."_

"Shut up, Jap." There was a long silence. "Specs?"

_"Mm-hmm?"_

"It was your turn to say something."

_"You told me to shut up."_

"Argh!" Kuri bared her teeth at the phone. "How is it that you manage to annoy me when I insult you?"

_"I'm cool. Much cooler than your face."_

"No…! No! That's not fair! No stealing my lines!"

_"Miss Masachika, that was my line in the first place."_

"True. Hey, Ootori, what's Newton's second law?"

_"Force equals mass times acceleration."_

"Yes!" Kuri clapped her hands - she had aced the test at the end of the chapter. "Ootori, you are my guardian angel."

_"Can you really picture me as an angel, Miss Masachika?"_

She tried. "Oh god, that looks really really weird." She closed her eyes tightly, as if that would block the awkward image now permanently etched into the back of her memory.

_"Exactly."_

"You know, you could call me Kuri. It's not a crime," she pointed out casually.

_"You could call me Kyouya. It's not a crime." _

"Fine then, Kyouya."

_"Fine then, Kuri." _

"So what's the cosplay for tomorrow?"

_"Whatever you would like it to be." _

"Really?"

_"Really."_

Kuri highly doubted this. More likely, the kid was on his laptop and had momentarily lost focus on the conversation. "I think we should all dress up as people in a motorcycle gang."

_"I'm not an idiot, Kuri, that's never happening." _

"C'mon, think of the profits! Your fangirls love you now, they'll love you in leather!"

_"They'd love me no matter what."_

"You're such a smart-ass, aren't you, Ootori?"

_"Yes, very much so, Miss Masachika."_

"Fine, Kyouya."

_"Fine, Kuri."_

"Do you have the feeling this conversation is getting us nowhere?"

_"Why do you think I'm only half paying attention?"_

"I am completely and utterly offended."

_"My work is done for the day."_

"Oh, go jump in a blasted lake." Kuri stuck her tongue out at the phone.

"Kuri!" Aidan called, coming into the room and hitting her on the head with a newspaper. "Stop talking to your boyfriend, you have homework to do!"

"Shut up, Aidan! Hey, Ootori, I gotta go," Kuri said, hoping that the boy hadn't heard her brother.

_"It was nice talking to you, Miss Masachika."_

"See ya, Kyouya."

_"Goodbye, Kuri. And tell Aidan that your boyfriend says hi."_

Beep.

* * *

Chen walked his fingers across the top of the gate, sighing impatiently. He had been waiting for Kuri for a while now. He wanted to surprise her.

He loved surprising Kuri. Her eyes would widen, and he could remember Mum.

And then he would remember.

Maybe surprises weren't so good.

Chen stepped onto the bar on the gate, leaning over the edge. When was Kuri going to come out? He missed her when she was at school. He was homeschooled by Avery - they didn't think he was ready for a middle school environment yet.

Aidan and Avery thought he wasn't ready for anything, which was sad. Just because he didn't talk didn't mean he was stupid, or insecure. Scratch that, he was the most insecure person he knew. But Kuri's friends were different now. So it was better. Especially Mitsukuni.

Chen started swinging to and fro on the gate. Had he been there for five minutes? Possibly fifteen, twenty. What if Kuri liked her friends more than she liked him?

_I've made a huge mistake, Chen. But I'm smarter now. You'll be my first priority for the rest of my life, I promise. _

She had promised. And though Kuri was a bit… what was the word? Unstable? Volatile? Yes, though Kuri was a bit volatile, she never broke a promise.

Suddenly, the young boy's head snapped up as he heard the familiar laugh. He heard it a lot now. It made up for the few years that it was gone.

He gave a small wave as Kuri walked towards the gate with her friends.

"Chen!" she cried joyfully, running up and giving him a hug. The small boy patted her on the back, then waved to the others. They smiled and said "Hi" as they passed through the gate.

"Mr. Masachika," Kyouya greeted. Chen rubbed the back of his head. He would never admit to it, of course, but he had a deep admiration for the tall man with glasses. And he suspected something else, involving this man and his sister, but he would never mention that either.

"Hey Chen! School was super fun today!" Hunny said excitedly. Chen nodded and patted the boy on the head as he babbled on. The private boy smiled quietly to himself as his friend went on talking. It was a good feeling he felt when he was around them. And good feelings were always... good.

* * *

Emi Murakami grabbed a silver bottle of nail polish from her vanity. Balancing her lime green phone between her ear and her shoulder, she started to paint her toenails.

"He's coming tonight, Kei-chan!" she squealed excitedly. "I can't wait! I always miss him so much, but he's going to sneak back just to see me!"

An equally excited Keiko Matsuo responded, and Emi nodded. "Yeah, maybe one day I can introduce you two!" A tapping came at the elaborate French doors that led from Emi's room to her balcony. "Oh, he's here! Talk to you later, Kei-chan, okay? Bye!" The brunette hung up, shifted her white fluffy bathrobe, and opened the door.

"Hey Emi," said a tall boy with short brown hair. He gave her a hug, and she felt his thinness through the leather jacket he was wearing.

"Hey Kenny. Have you been eating well?" she asked, worried.

He laughed without humor. "You can't just get things to eat if you're in a gang, Emi. Whatever we steal goes to the smokes and the drinks."

"But that's not safe!" the girl protested.

"I've said this before and I'll say this again, Emi - that's the punishment for disowning me from the family."

"But I didn't want you to go! Why am I the only one getting punished?"

Kenny scoffed. "Don't fool yourself, sis. What do you think has happened to the Murakami family's reputation? Mrs. Murakami is probably killing herself about it."

Emi sighed, then led Kenny to her bed. "I've missed you so much, Kenny. What's happened since the last time I saw you?"

The boy let out a long breath. "Lots has happened. How about this, you go first. What's been happening with you?"

Emi prattled on about school, drama, and the Host Club. "Yeah, and there's this girl who hangs out there _all the time_, like she owns the place, which is super annoying. She's some mix, or something, she has black hair, but blue eyes, it's weird as hell. Not to mention that she dresses in the boy's uniform. Ugh! And she's all over Kyouya all the time, and it's just so annoying. Her name is-"

"Her name is Kuri," Kenny said, interrupting his sister.

Emi nodded unconsciously, then frowned. "You know her?"

He chuckled darkly. "Oh, yes. I know Kuri. I know Kuri all too well." He stood up and walked out into the balcony. "I have to go, Emi."

"What?" Emi asked, running to him. "But you've only been here for a few minutes!"

"I'd love to stay longer," he said distractedly, "but I've got somewhere to be. Is she well?" He asked suddenly.

"Is who well?"

"Kuri."

Emi scoffed. "She looks fine to me, but why do you care?"

Kenny shook his head, then gave his sister a quick squeeze. "See ya, Emi." And with that, he swung himself over the edge of the balcony and climbed down to the ground.

_Why did he care?_

**A/N: And that's where I'm gonna leave you. :) Do you people remember Emi? I hope so. Read Chapter 1 if you've forgotten. **

**This is a tres long chapter. But I really wanted to fit it all in, so I apologize. **

**As always, reviews are lovely. I'd really like to know what you think of Chen, Kenny, and the Kuri/Kyouya I have in this chapter. Yes, I've come out with it, though it was rather obvious - this is a Kuri/Kyouya fic. Sorry if you had other expectations. In fact, if you did, please tell me about it! I could write an AU oneshot for you!**

**Till next time, her Majesty, the Queen, Violet ^_^**


	9. Chapter 9

"Kuri~!" Tamaki yelled excitedly as the club burst into the Third Music Room. He spotted the dark girl sitting in a chair with its back facing towards them. Her face was tilted slightly upwards and her hand was hanging loosely over the armrest.

"Kuri, Kuri, Kuri, Kuri," the twins said annoyingly, poking her from the behind in the shoulder. When she made no response, they finally looked at her face.

Her eyes were shut peacefully. Her small mouth hung a little open and for once, her elfish features were not twisted into a grimace, a sardonic smile, or a scowl.

"Kurin's asleep?" Hunny asked, jiggling the girl's elbow a little.

"How can you sleep in a chair like that?" Haruhi asked sensibly, staring at the tall girl.

"Ah, I'm bored," Hikaru said, pulling out a noise-maker.

"Let's wake her up." Kaoru did the same.

"3… 2… 1…" They counted off together and blew the noise-makers at the same time. Kuri jolted upright in the chair as if they had given her an electric shock. Her fragile fingers gripped the armrest so her knuckles were a pale white. She blinked her eyes a few times, then stood up and turned to grab each twin by an ear.

"What's your problem, can't let a girl sleep?" she asked, pulling them up a few inches as they protested. She chuckled and let them go. "Sorry, guys, it's just that I stayed up really late last night." She stretched, then looked around. "Where's my bookbag?"

"Mmphle!" Hunny chirped, as much as one can chirp when one's head is stuffed inside a denim bag full of who-knows-what.

"What are you doing in there?" Kuri asked quizzically, bending down and tugging at one of the bag's straps.

"What's this?" he asked brightly, pulling out a pad. Kuri flushed and grabbed the bag from him, trying to stuff the feminine article back inside. The pad went in - the rest of the contents of the bag flew out. Kuri swore and crouched down to pick everything up.

The Host Club immediately started to help her. Started being the key word.

"OMG," the twins spouted at the same time, snatching at her MP3 player and each sticking one earphone in.

Mori picked up a plushie wolf and pointed to the Neopets tag on it. "It's a Lupe."

"It's Chen!" Hunny exclaimed, picking up a small picture frame.

Tamaki excitedly picked up some keys. "What do these go to?" he asked, jingling them in front of her face.

Haruhi unfolded a crumpled up newspaper. "Kuri? How does this all fit in your bag?"

"You carry this around with you?" Kyouya asked, holding up a thick book. Emblazoned over the front cover was "The Belgariad" and three book titles were printed near the bottom of the cover.

"Agh," Kuri covered her face with her hands. "You two, put that down, yes Takashi, I used to play online, yeah, Mitsukuni, I carry around all of their pictures, Suoh, they're for my motorcycle, the house, other things, I really don't know, Haruhi, and yes, Ootori, just in case I have to go somewhere where I'll be bored!" She clutched her hair and put her face on her knees.

"Gladly," she heard from the dissatisfied Hitachiins, "you only have weird old music on here."

"Hello?" Her head shot up. "The Beatles are not weird! Neither are the Talking Heads! Or the Clash! Or the Ramones!"

"It's Greek to me," Kaoru said emphatically.

"Except the Beatles," Hikaru added.

"They're great and all, I guess." At the same time.

"Guess? There's no guess about it! They're brilliant! And have you seen Paul McCartney? Dead sexiest thing on the face of the Earth!"

"He's almost 70," Kyouya said blandly.

"Okay, so I was born a little late," Kuri admitted, gesturing with her hands, "but you get what I'm saying! I would kill to have a voice like him!"

Kyouya held out her book and she took it back, gently placing it in her bag. "See, to answer Haruhi's question from before, I think it's got a charm on it. You know, so it's the never-ending book bag of doom. I can even fit all my textbooks in here." She motioned to the many textbooks lying around on the floor.

"Kuri, why do you have a Physics textbook? You're taking Chemistry," Haruhi asked, puzzled.

"You have a Chemistry textbook too," the twins chorused.

"And our course for Social Studies this year is Japanese Studies." Hikaru.

"World History is next year." Kaoru.

"But you have the book for it." Both.

"If you're in 1st year, why do you have a German I and a German II textbook?" Tamaki asked, holding up both of the books.

"Why do you have Health?" Hunny asked, waving around her Health binder. "You should only be taking held in 2nd year!"

Mori silently held up two years worth of Grammar workbooks.

"Agh, well… er…" Kuri glanced at Kyouya, who had an annoying smirk on his face. She looked away and muttered, "Imai beesking agray."

"What?" The group asked simultaneously, and she shrunk away even more.

"I might be skipping a grade," she repeated, a little louder. "If I get better than the average 2nd year on their placement exams."

"But you'll have to learn both 1st year and 2nd year in the same year, then!" Tamaki gasped. "Atrocious!"

"I've done it before," Kuri shrugged a little. They stared at her blankly and she sighed. "I skipped 4th grade back in England. That's why I'm one of the youngest people in 1st year."

"So you'd graduate at 16 if this all worked out," Haruhi said in wonder. Kuri nodded, smiling a little.

"How do you manage a social life with us?" Hikaru asked.

"We don't exactly give you that much free time," Kaoru allowed generously. Kuri snorted. She spent most of her time after school with the Host Club.

"Remember why I was sleeping? Yeah, I stay up late and get it all done."

"You, my princess, need help!" Tamaki proclaimed. "And so, we shall tutor you so that you can be marvelous!"

Kuri laughed outright, and the Club grinned happily. It wasn't often that they saw the dark girl in such levity. "Well, that would be nice."

"Takashi and I can train you in Physical Education and Health!" Hunny proclaimed.

"We'll take Chemistry," the twins offered.

"I'll help you in Grammar," Haruhi said, shrugging.

"I shall take it upon myself to educate you in the history of our beautiful world!" Tamaki said in a… well, Tamaki-like way.

"I suppose that leaves me to help you in German," Kyouya finished, jotting down something in his notebook.

"Alright, let's head out!" Tamaki said, leaping towards the door. After a bunch of goodbyes and hugs from Hunny, the only two left in the room were Kyouya, standing up, and Kuri, still crouched on the floor.

"Come on, Miss Masachika," Kyouya said, holding out a hand to her. Kuri took it and pulled herself up at the same time as he pulled her up. The combined effort sent her flying into his chest. She latched onto his shirt firmly with both of her hands as he stumbled.

"Ah, sorry," she said quickly, flushing slightly as she let go of her elder classmate.

"No worries," he replied evenly, turning to walk out of the door. Kuri knitted her brow and placed a hand to her heart.

She knew this feeling.

And of all the feelings in the world…

This one was not welcome.

Ever again.

**A/N: Let's see how this tutoring business goes, shall we? **

**I'm gonna say it straight out - Reviews please! We're starting to get the tiniest hints of fluff and romance, but believe me, there is a reason that Angst is one of the genres… **

**Oh! And if you know any of the groups I mentioned in the MP3 player part, please tell! Cuz if you love those groups, I love you. xD**

**Till next time, her Majesty, the Queen, Violet ^_^**


	10. Chapter 10

Thump.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Thwack.

The servants stared in awe. Hunny happily ate cake while watching. And Kuri and Mori went at each other with the shinai used in kendo.

Mori let out a guttural grunt as he blocked a quick attack from Kuri. She gritted her teeth, refusing to make a sound, and kept her facial expression utterly blank.

"Good job, Takashi, Ku-chan!" Hunny gestured with his fork. "Go for it!"

The tall man let out a yell as he thrust the wooden stick towards the girl's unguarded stomach. With a deft turn of the wrist, she deflected the projectile and struck the weapon against his shoulder. Breathing heavily, Kuri stepped back and wiped the sweat from her forehead, grinning.

"Beat ya again, Takashi. I win," she boasted, taking a drink of water from a bottle.

"25 to 23!" Hunny announced excitedly, clapping. "Boy, that took a long time."

"That it did. Thank you guys so much, I'm sure to ace the written tests in Health now, and your workouts are really great." Kuri smiled, then wrinkled her nose as the exhaustion started to set into her body. "I'm gonna go take a shower."

"Well done, Kuri," Mori said, putting away the shinai. She smiled at him, then walked out of the door, only to be confronted by the servants of the house all bowing to her.

"Erm…?"

"All hail the Silent Queen!" They proclaimed, shaking her hand rapidly and giving her pats on the back.

_For some reason, I don't think I'm going to make it to the twins' house on time._

_

* * *

_"Sorry I'm late," Kuri said as she dropped her bag in front of the orange-haired boys. The clock on the wall read 8:40 and the Hitachiins were staring at her accusingly.

"When you say 8:30…"

"That means 8:30…"

"Got it?"

Kuri simply snorted and sat down. "Now, you're gonna help me or what?"

"Fine," Hikaru sighed, flipping the pages of his chemistry book. He came to a random section and stopped. "Today we will go over biochemisty, Miss Masachika."

"Yes, Hikaru," Kuri replied, mock-obediently.

"You will address us as Sensei, young upstart," Kaoru ordered, pretending to be stern.

"Yeah, kid, shut your yap," Hikaru added.

Kuri growled at them. They'd been rubbing in the fact that they were both older than her since they had discovered the year-long age difference between them.

"Screw you, orangey-heads."

"Orangey-heads?" The two asked simultaneously, clutching their hair. "We find that offensive."

"Our hair is _titian_, not orange," Kaoru told her.

"Isn't titian more of a reddish color? Like Anne of Green Gables has titian hair?"

"Who's she?" They asked.

Kuri gasped. "Such ignorance coming from my elders!" She joked.

"Whatever," Hikaru shrugged.

"And our hair is reddish. It isn't completely orange."

"Really? I don't see it…"

"See, look here, this is definitely red."

"You two must be colorblind, that's almost as blonde as Tamaki."

"Our hair? Compared to Milord's? No way. That mop on his head can't even be mentioned in the same sentence as this fine beauty in front of you."

"I like blondes."

"Cause you're as dumb as one."

"Racist."

"That wasn't a joke on race!"

"Hair colorist."

"That's a person who colors people's hair, young cricket."

"That's right. You have much to learn from the both of us."

"Dudes, seriously!" Kuri suddenly shouted. "Biochemistry!"

"Well fine," they responded sulkily, "if you want to be a party pooper."

* * *

"So sorry, Haruhi, the twins kept me," Kuri barged into the small apartment, panting.

"Did you run all the way here?" Haruhi asked with a smile, flicking on the lights and sitting down at the table.

"Yeah," Kuri nodded. "Can I have some water?"

"I'm so glad you're not Tamaki." The brunette rolled her eyes as she handed the drink to her friend. "He gets so obsessed with my 'commoner life', as he calls it."

Kuri looked around. "No, this is a nice place. I've lived in worse than this."

"Really?" Haruhi stared at her, sure she was joking.

"Really. So. Grammar. Ew."

"I know." Haruhi ran a hand through her short hair.

"Did you cut your hair yourself? Just asking?"

"Yup. Bubblegum got stuck in it." Haruhi paused. "How did you know?"

"It's sorta obvious. Though yours grew out pretty well. Unlike mine," Kuri gestured towards her uneven black locks. "It sorta goes up and then goes down a little here and then I don't know. It used to be pretty long, too."

"You? With long hair? Now that's something I've got to see." Haruhi tried to imagine it, with poor results.

"I'm sure Aidan and Avery have pictures," Kuri commented glumly. "I hate pictures."

"So. Grammar."

"Grammar."

"Oh, forget this. You'll ace the test without my help. I don't even know why you're here."

"Cause Tamaki had one of his great ideas, aka, brain failures."

"Sometimes I doubt his brain ever works."

"Of course it does. He's just…"

"Just…?"

"He's just Tamaki."

Haruhi nodded. "Very true."

* * *

"Suoh, you prat!" Kuri yelled as she walked into his room.

"Kuri!" He exclaimed, excitedly running over to hug her.

"Don't you dare touch me, you loser," she threatened, grabbing his shoulder, "you never told me your house was this big-ass!"

"This isn't _that_ big," he brushed her off, "You should see Suoh Mansion #1!"

"You have two mansions?"

"Why are you surprised, princess?"

The dark girl shook her head and muttered, "Cause not everyone in the freaking world has two mansions, just saying."

"Well, yeah, commoners wouldn't have them, I guess. How can you live in a house as small as Haruhi's, I wonder?" Tamaki went into a thoughtful mood.

"Maybe because commoners don't need 15 bedrooms in a house where two people live!" Kuri snapped.

"Hypocrite." He pouted and poked her arm. "You have a huge house, but I didn't say anything to you."

"Yeah, well, that's one huge house, Suoh. And it's not really a honking palace, just a rather large Victorian house. We only have five bedrooms, and I'm a- well I'm not a perfectly okay kid, but you get the picture."

"You're perfect!" Tamaki protested, "all princesses are!"

"I have a lot of flaws, Tamaki, flaws that you guys don't even have the faintest ideas of," Kuri remarked bitterly, shaking her head.

"You're perfect in your imperfection."

Kuri turned to the tall blonde, startled. He smiled at her, then laughed and said, "Shouldn't I be tutoring you?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," the dark girl replied, sitting down on a chair. "Gimme all you got, Suoh."

* * *

Kuri breathed heavily as she rang the last doorbell for the day. "These people… are insane… what a freaking waste of a Saturday," she murmured to herself. A servant opened the door and she looked at him oddly. "Err… I'm here to see Kyouya?" Suddenly, she felt as if she was in the doctor's office, talking to the receptionist.

"Right this way, ma'am." _The doctor is in,_ she thought sarcastically as the butler led her through the winding and weaving corridors of the Ootori house. He stopped at a door and rapped on it exactly three times. "Young Master, there's a Miss…" the man looked to Kuri for a name. In response, she kicked open the door and let herself in.

"Hey, Ootori." She sighed and dropped her bag on the coffee table. Kyouya looked up from his computer.

"That will be all, Takahashi," the tall man told the butler, and the servant nodded and was on his way. He turned his attention to Kuri. "You're an hour late."

"I'm sorry, okay!" she snapped, sinking onto the couch. "I was 10 minutes late after Mitsukuni and Takashi, so the twins held me over, same with Haruhi and Tamaki, and I deserve to have a freaking weekend, don't you think!"

Kyouya neglected to respond, instead, getting out his German textbook.

"Oh, you're just loving this, aren't you?" she seethed. "Let's mess with Kuri and see how long it takes for her to completely break down! I'd rather not be a part of your mind games, Shadow King!"

"What mind games?" he asked calmly, and the dark girl growled at him in response. There was a silence in the room for a minute, then Kuri moved.

"I hate German," she informed him as she slouched into the seat across from him at the table.

"Is there anything else you have to say?"

"Oh, yes, Mr. Psychologist." Kuri pressed a hand to her heart. "I think I might have multiple personality disorder, but I tell myself that's not the case. I argue sometimes though, because of what I say. I'm just so convincing, you know, it's hard to decide between me, myself, and I."

"Ha." Kyouya glared at her over the table and she smirked. "Du bist ein genie," her remarked sarcastically.

"I'm a genius? Danke schoen. Or whatever."

"You've picked up the language fast enough."

"Yeah, well it's my fourth one, no surprise there."

"And you hate it."

"Yes! It's so 'graar' and 'rar' and 'ich'. French is _much_ better."

Kyouya raised a single eyebrow. "Right."

"You better be damn sure I am," she responded.

They bickered. And they fought. And they loved every single moment of it.

**A/N: Sorry for the wait. This chapter was just awful. I'm like "Kuri, do this!" and she's like "No, that's so out of character." And I'm like "But I made you! I get to choose your character." And then she gave me the finger. And then I gave her a stern lecture on respect. And then everyone at the bus stop looked at me like I was insane. I know this chapter was not up to par. Next time will be better.  
**

**By the way, Hunny & Mori's servants calling Kuri the Silent Queen refers to the fact that kendo is usually a very loud sport, with the opponents shouting with each thrust or strike, but Kuri remains tight-lipped throughout the whole competition. **

**Till next time, her Majesty, the Queen, Violet ^_^**


	11. Chapter 11

"Hey, Masachika."

Kuri hesitated in the doorway of school. Stepping into the hallway, she raised an eyebrow at the brunette who had spoken. "You called?"

"Who are you?" she demanded, stepping up to the dark haired girl, her long dress whispering as it trailed across the floor.

"Um… Masachika. Who're you?" Kuri asked, a hand immediately going to her hair.

"I'm in two of your classes! How do you not know me? And that wasn't even my point!" The girl shook her head rapidly, then looked back into the other's blue eyes. "How do you know my brother?"

"I'd love to tell you, as soon as I find out who the hell you are."

"Murakami, Emi. 2nd year. Ring a bell?"

"Oh. Oh… You're that kid. Ah… I see." Kuri stared at her, nonplussed, then shrugged. "Sorry, I have no clue who your brother is." Having had enough of the conversation, she tried to walk past the girl - the brunette, however, stopped her with a hand at her elbow.

"But Kenny said he knew you!"

Kuri paused for a moment. Her mind worked double-speed, thoughts and memories racing through her brain at light-speed. After a second of deliberation, she looked back to the girl. "I apologize, Emi dear, but I have absolutely _no_ idea whom you're talking about."

"Oh yeah, sure," the girl sneered, "that's like saying you and Ootori aren't way too close for comfort."

_Why bring Kyouya into this?_ "I'm sorry if I misled you, darling, but Ootori and I are friends. No more, no less. Of course, if that's too close for _your_ comfort, well, I can't help you. Call back later."

"Don't give me that shit!" Emi snapped, impatiently pushing her hair away from her face. "You totally have feelings for him - it's as plain as the nose on your face!"

Kuri pursed her lips, trying not to laugh. "I don't have feelings for him. At all. Now, that's not saying that he's not good in bed, but-"

A sharp crack echoed in the hallway. The students of Ouran, ever the talented gossipmongers, halted in their tracks. The tall dark girl raised a slightly shaky hand to her cheek, lightly brushing over the red handprint. Then, she threw her head back and laughed heartily. Emi watched her, her anger so fierce that it brought tears to her eyes.

"Oh, that hurt…" Kuri choked out, trying to stop herself from chuckling. "That hurt majorly. See ya around, crazy chick. Check at the Ootori hospital, I think Kyouya might've got that padded room ready for you." And with that, Kuri walked away, heading towards her first period English class.

_Damn, Murakami is in this class, isn't she?_ She pondered. _Maybe I should skip - give her a chance to cool down…_

"What's that?"

"Oh my fuc- Ootori! What the hell!" Kuri jumped as the bespectacled boy fell into step beside her. "Don't do that again, you scared the- What do you mean, what's that?"

"The obvious handprint on your cheek."

"Oh, that! Haha, I got it for telling a kid you were a good shag," Kuri said easily.

"Excuse me?"

Kuri glanced at him, then patted his cheek patronizingly. "Aw, my dear, sweet, innocent, un-slang-knowing child. It means you're good in bed."

There was a silence. Then Kyouya spoke.

"You aren't kidding?"

"Nope." Kuri popped her 'p'. "Why would I? It's a damn funny way to get slapped." Kyouya adjusted his glasses, his dark aura emanating from him. Kuri took no notice. "You know Murakami? She's _obsessed _with you. Like I mean, she's a stalker. Oh. Hey, you're perfect for each other!"

"Miss Masachika," Kyouya started coldly. "You told my father's closest business associate's daughter that I slept with you?"

"Oh… damn. Shit. Kyouya, don't look at me like that. I'm running, I'm running now!" Kuri sprinted down the hallway as Kyouya glared after her. "Out of my way, people! The spawn of Satan, otherwise known as Kyouya Ootori, has been unleashed! Run for your lives!" She spouted dramatically, waving her hand around in the air for effect. She glanced back over her shoulder at the man, who was striding up to her quickly, yet casually. He grabbed her elbow and dragged her alongside him as he continued to walk.

"Miss Masachika," he started, the light glinting off his glasses, "you will apologize to Miss Murakami. And you will correct your previous statement."

"What if I don't want to?" she challenged stubbornly. "You don't control my life."

"Miss Masachika… Do you have a passport?"

"Dude, I'm not Haruhi. I'm not even a Japanese citizen. I belong to the country of England. So take that and shove it up your… yeah."

Kyouya adjusted his glasses again, covering his private smile. "I think that's the worst insult I've ever heard you give."

"Yeah, well, Aidan and Avery are trying to get me to cut down on the swearing and stuff. As always. They're the most overprotective brothers ever."

They walked in silence, then Kuri burst out, "Oh my god, dude, did I tell you? You - yes, _you_ - have your own Wikipedia page!"

"And?" Kyouya arched an eyebrow, waiting for the dark girl to continue.

"You are on Wikipedia! On Wikipedia, you are! Dude. You just got Yoda'd. Are you a Star Wars geek? That would be funny." The tall boy internally sighed at his friend's rambling. "Leia is horrible. I mean, I love her. But I love Han Solo _much_ much more. You get what I'm saying?"

"You think he might be a good, what did you call it? Shag?" Kyouya asked pointedly, and Kuri colored. She quickly laughed.

"It sounds so weird when you say shag… Alright, I get it, I'll apologize. Don't blame yourself if I get slapped again, you didn't mean to." And with another superior pat on the cheek, Kuri stepped into the English classroom, prepared to face Emi Murakami for a second time. Or as she now thought of her, the Creepy Ootori Stalker.

"Kuri! How is your Shakespeare project going?" Tamaki asked jovially as she entered the room. He immediately zoomed to her side and hovered next to her as she sat down at her desk.

"Ah, we've been reading over the phone, hanging out sometimes… why do you ask?" Kuri replied absentmindedly. She opened her desk and looked for a pencil.

"It's due in two weeks…" The blonde pointed out. The dark girl shot up, hitting her head on the desk.

"Oh, shit-aki mushrooms, crap, crap, crap!" Kuri muttered under breath, rubbing the bump on her head furiously. "In two weeks?"

"Don't worry, I bet Kyouya's already done with the essay!" Tamaki said gleefully, waving his hands. Kuri stalked over to the doorway where Kyouya had entered the room.

"Ootori. Shakespeare. Due in two weeks."

"Kuri, please refrain from hyperventilating," he said casually, a smirk gracing his features. "I've been working on it."

"Fine, but I'm coming over to your house tomorrow to check it. 5:00 okay?" She pointed a threatening finger at him.

"That's fine by me." Kyouya shrugged.

"It'll be a date!" Kuri replied mischievously as Emi entered the room. The brunette turned to face the pair faster than one could say 'what a creepy, obsessed Ootori-stalker'. "Oh, by the way, I'm not sleeping with Kyouya," the tall girl added with a sunny smile.

The youngest Ootori son internally groaned.


	12. Chapter 12

Kuri rang the doorbell several times, then leaned against the wall, panting. She was half-an-hour late; hopefully, the Shadow King was in a good mood today. A dark-haired young woman opened the door and stared at her.

"Excuse me, do you need something?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh. Hi. Err…" Kuri ran a hand through her hair. "I'm Kuri Masachika, Kyouya's classmate? I'm here to… study. And stuff."

"Oh, you're Kyouya's friend? Come in, come in! I'm his sister, Fuyumi! What a pleasure to meet you!" she said excitedly, beckoning for Kuri to come in. "How are you doing?"

"I'm… I'm great. So. I'd better get… studying." Kuri shifted awkwardly.

Fuyumi laughed and gestured upstairs. "Kyouya's in his study. Third door on the right on the second floor." As Kuri headed up the stairs, the Ootori laughed. "You're just like him, you know?"

Kuri glanced over her shoulder and shrugged. "If that's what you think." _Am I really that similar to him? _She pondered as she walked through the cold hallway. Adjusting her school blazer, she glanced into a mirror as she passed it. They were both tall, both had dark hair. But the similarities ended there.

"Hello? Ootori?" Kuri peeked into his study. Bookshelves lined the room on both sides. His pineapple laptop sat on an elegant desk, and there was a smaller table nearby, covered with notebooks. It looked as if the youngest Ootori had been searching for something.

"Well, I guess I'll just wait for you," Kuri muttered, sitting down at the swivel chair in front of the computer. She spun a little, then tilted her head back, sighing frustratedly. She then opened up the pineapple laptop and powered it up, humming as the system set itself up. Then it asked for Kyouya's password and she growled.

K-Y-O-U-Y-A. Access Denied.

O-O-T-O-R-I. Access Denied.

The dark girl narrowed her eyes. It was probably a combination of some sort. The tall man seemed the type to be ridiculously paranoid about his information. Kuri resisted the urge to slam her face onto the keyboard. The Ootori would charge her for the replacement. With 50-bajillion% interest.

IThinkImSoGreat. Access Denied.

She couldn't resist. It was true.

TheRealKingOfTheHostClub. Access Denied.

KuriIsAmazing. Access Denied. 5 tries left.

Kuri bit her lip. 5 more tries to hack into the boy's computer.

KO#4. Access Denied. 4 tries left.

MrBigShotYoshioOotorisSon. Access Denied. 3 tries left.

November22. Access Denied. 2 tries left.

22November. Access Denied. 1 try left.

Kuri bit her lip, then typed in rapidly, pressed the Enter key, and crossed her fingers.

K2O2#141. The screen glowed blue and the words "Applying Your Personal Settings" appeared.

"Yes!" Kuri cheered in her seat, spinning around happily. She caught a glimpse of the desktop home screen and her eyes widened. Hundreds of folders splashed across the screen. She chuckled and looked through them. Near the top-left of the screen, there were Host Club folders, organized by month. A few columns over, he had bookmarked his homework folders. The dark girl happened to glance one row down and paused with a sharp intake of breath. There was a single folder named 'KMasachika'. The cursor hovered over the yellow icon, her finger a millimeter from the mouse button. Her curiosity insatiable, she clicked to open the folder.

The folder consisted of internet links and Microsoft Word files. She quickly selected them all, pressed open, and waited as the browsers started popping up.

They were arranged by chronological order. First, there were sites and information about the Masachikas, then newspaper articles, then birth certificates, then hospital records. Kuri was frozen as her life flashed onto the screen. Wincing as his name, his smiling face showed up everywhere.

She did it without thinking. She delved into the computer's system, remembering how Avery had once done it, typed in the commands, went to the sites, and watched as multiple viruses chewed away at all the information on the Ootori's computer. Her hands trembled as they hovered over the keys. The screen slowly faded to black.

Kuri slowly got up, breathing heavily, as if she had run a marathon. She drifted over to the coffee table, like a ghost, and opened the first notebook she saw.

More information.

Observations.

Of her.

The Ootori had been curious. But curiosity killed the cat - or in this case, the King. In a frenzy, she tore the pages out, ripped them into shreds, and threw them around the room. They fluttered to the floor.

_You're a special girl, Kuri. _

Slashed through the covers with a pocketknife.

_You're not so bad, kid. _

Scribbled over the notes with a ballpoint pen, writing 'sneak' along the margins in her angry script.

_Come on, Miss Masachika. _

By the time she was done, it looked as if a tornado had swept through the room. She herself was frazzled, her uniform rumpled, her face drawn and pale. Thoughts raced through her mind, but she pushed away the hot-headed anger and forced herself to think coldly, logically. Like that boy.

Someone would notice if she left the house only a few minutes after arriving. So she would have to sneak out.

Silently, she opened the one window in the room and slipped out, climbing down the side of the house like a monkey and running away.

* * *

The youngest Ootori stepped out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his neck. He sighed as he checked the time - 5:45. Hopefully, Kuri was waiting for him in the study.

He pushed the door open and froze in the doorway, surveying the scene in front of him. Small scraps of paper littered the floor like snow, blowing around as wind blew in through the window. He ran to his computer and tried to type in some commands, but was met with a black screen with white binary code appearing on it. His computer was rewriting itself. All his files, lost. Sinking into the computer chair, he covered his face with his hands.

But he had lost something much more important than computer files, hard as it was for him to admit.

Her face swam in front of his closed eyes.

He had screwed up.

Majorly.


	13. Chapter 13

**Lies is up, everybody. **

**Hope you enjoy my new, revised version of Kuri.**

**Till next time, her Majesty, the Queen, Violet ^_^**


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